


Popcorn is a Go

by htbthomas



Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: Dating, F/M, Fluff, Sneaking Around, Yuletide Treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-24 17:57:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17105405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/htbthomas/pseuds/htbthomas
Summary: Bex and Bowie try to have a normal adult date - without worrying about Andi or her world. It mostly works out.





	Popcorn is a Go

**Author's Note:**

  * For [anotherthief](https://archiveofourown.org/users/anotherthief/gifts).



Bex sunk down low in her seat, clutching the popcorn to her chest. Heart pounding, she peeked at the person who had just entered the theater. The silhouette in the flickering light of the projector showed a woman with long hair. Whew. No one she knew. She blew out a breath and straightened a little to watch the next trailer. Bowie should be here any minute now, based on his last text.

It was weird that they had to sneak around, like they were teenagers all over again, just to get some alone time! She knew Andi needed her mom and dad—a lot—but they needed some alone time now and then, you know? And really, an engaged couple should be spending a lot of time together. It was only natural.

At least, that's what she told herself when the nagging guilty feelings crept up on her.

 But tonight? Tonight they should be free and clear. Andi had a date tonight. Or maybe just a friends thing. She was so on-again-off-again with Jonah that it was impossible to tell which it was at any given moment. It made her chuckle sometimes at how much Andi got from her, even with CeCe's raising for the first thirteen years. She knew Andi would eventually figure it all out. After all, look at her mother now! All grown up and engaged and having a nice adult time on the town.

She felt a buzz in her lap, and she juggled the popcorn and the phone to look at the notification screen. _Mom, are you at home?_

Uh oh.

Was this a real emergency? Or just a 'date' emergency? Like, she had the wrong headband or something. If it was a real emergency, the message would have been in all caps, right? She'd wait a bit and see if Andi could solve it on her own.

Another person entered the theater and she ducked down again. But this time the silhouette had a mane of flowing curly hair. "Bowie, over here!" she hissed.

He turned toward her hiss and smiled widely when he saw her. She melted a little—that smile could make anyone melt, and he saved this particular one just for her. "Bex!" he said, dropping into the seat on her right. "Did you get the text from—?"

"—Andi? Yeah. I'm gonna wait it out."

He frowned. "No. Mine was from Jonah." He lifted up the screen to show her. _Is Andi with you?_ "I didn't respond. Like I promised, Radio silence." He put two fingers to his lips solemnly.

"Why didn't they just text each other?" she asked, baffled, as she showed Bowie her screen. 

He shrugged and grabbed a handful of popcorn from the over-buttered side of the bucket in her lap. "They'll figure it out. Ooh! I want to see this!" His excitement over the next trailer was loud enough to make the long-haired woman farther down turn around to look.

"Me too," Bex said, just as loudly, nudging his shoulder. What? They weren't hiding from _her_.

Bowie grinned and slid his butter-covered hand into hers. "Ew," she said, but then squeezed it tighter. She'd endure a little butter for him any day. Leaning over toward him, she kissed him on the cheek. 

"Mm, that was nice," he said, then quickly turned his head so that they were kissing fully. Mm, this was nicer.

Both their phones angrily buzzed at the same time, causing them to break apart with a groan. "What now?" Bex asked the universe in general.

They looked at the phones side by side. _Have you seen Andi?_ from Buffy, and _No, I'm trying to find Jonah._ from Cyrus. "They added us to a group text?" Bowie asked, shaking his head.

"That's it. These phones are going _off_." The last trailer had just ended and the theater warnings were starting up, anyway. "Time for some tough love." If it was something really important, they could go to CeCe and Pops. She shoved down that niggle of worry that something was really wrong as she watched their screens go fully black.

The movie finally started, and she snuggled into Bowie's shoulder. "She'll be okay, Bex," Bowie said into her hair. "She's ours."

He was right. And she managed to get through the whole movie without worrying. Or too much. Having Bowie right there beside her to keep her distracted by kissing her during the boring parts helped a lot. As the credits rolled, she set the now empty tub of popcorn on the floor and pulled out her phone. "Do we dare?" she asked Bowie.

"I think we have to." His voice was resigned.

Their phones warmed to life and they waited for the notifications to roll in... but there was only one more. _THEY'RE ON A DATE, LEAVE THEM ALONE!_ from CeCe.

"Huh," they both said in unison.

"I guess needed my mom tonight, too." Bex was going to have to thank her later.

Bowie picked up the trash around their seats and stood. "Do you think everything's okay?"

"Do you think they would have listened if it wasn't?"

"That's fair." He nodded toward the exit. "Wanna get ice cream?"

"Are you kidding? Why do you even bother to ask anymore?"

A scoop of rocky road, a scoop of rum raisin and way too much whipped cream later, they crept in the front door of their apartment. All the lights were off, but they came on blindingly bright the moment the door closed. "Do you know what time it is?" came a very disapproving, but very young voice.

"I think it's ten...?" said Bowie at the same time Bex said, "Busted!" and sat down beside Andi on the couch with a bounce.

Andi dropped her serious look immediately. "So how was your daaaaate?"

"Amazing." Bex put her arm around her daughter and pulled her close. "We went and saw the new Marvel movie. It was so—"

"No!" Andi said, pushing away. "Don't tell me! I promised Jonah we'd go see it."

"Okay, okay. I won't. How was your... whatever it was?" Bex glanced at Bowie who was jerking his head slightly back and forth, like he didn't want the details just yet. But she felt like she had to ask. "Did you ever find Jonah?"

"Um, well, it was—" Andi's mouth opened and closed a couple of times as she looked back and forth between Bex and Bowie. She slapped her legs and stood up abruptly. "You know what? I can tell you in the morning." She leaned down to give Bex a kiss, then got up on her tiptoes to give Bowie one. "Good night." Just before she left the room, she added, "You know, if you ever want to go on a date, no need to go sneaking around. You can just _tell_ me." She winked and spun on her heel to go to her room.

Bowie sat beside her, laughter in his voice. "Well, I guess that's that." 

"Yeah, but do we _believe_ her?" 

Bowie grabbed her around the waist to lift her into his lap, and she squealed for the moment before he kissed her again. "I think we'd better put it to the test as soon as possible." 

"Oh, definitely." She'd make sure of it.


End file.
